#1: Just starting to get the hang of CG, but some chemistry questions.

Now, I've spent hours reading about the different chemicals and how they cancel each other out for a perfect balance. Not being a science-y person myself, a lot of it goes over my head and I can never remember all of it. So I just have some concerns about my current regimen, which I've been keeping at (with some modification) for about 3 or 4 weeks now.

Basically, my biggest concern is product buildup. Reading some of these articles has me paranoid that everything I put in my hair will come back to haunt me! So I want to get rid of that fear by making sure there isn't any. I'm a college student and this summer I've hardly put any leave-in products in my hair besides olive oil on my ends but now that the semester is looming I feel like I need to clean up my laziness a bit.

Also, what are your thoughts about using conditioner (not leave-in) as a leave-in? Maybe it's the season, but I have a bit of frizz ever since I've started using BC/ACV on a weekly basis. Still tinkering around with leave-in products but it's taking a toll on my already pretty light college-student's wallet, hence why I'm looking for good products other than the DevaCurl ones.

Sorry for posting a thread about my personal regimen as opposed to a question that all can benefit from, but I'm just concerned about product buildup and the positive/negative charge of conditioner and such (if I'm balancing it out correctly and such). Maybe it's just been the heat of summer, but I've been struggling to keep my hair happy. Thanks!

I do happen to own the Tresemee Naturals conditioner...I used the shampoo for a while because of the lower sulfates but it made my hair quite frizzy. So tomorrow I'll experiment with the conditioner.

I have very thick, fairly low perosity hair that hits between my shoulderblades. Aren't I supposed to rinse with ACV after I use BS everytime, because of the acidity? Sundays are usually my wash days, in which I try to get out all the product and dirt that has built up all week. Today I bought Suave Daily Clarifying shampoo, which I'm pretty sure has SLS in it, but I always get mixed up on which one I'm not supposed to have...sulfates or silicones? Because I keep buying these products thinking they're gonna work and then I read the label for the millionth time and bam! I see something questionable. I never ended up clarifying with a sulfate-free shampoo before I started the BS method, which might be part of it. I just get nervous about clarifying now because I don't know if it's going to make me go back to square one, if you know what I mean. It's taken my hair this long to get used to the BS/ACV method, I don't want to ruin it. I haven't used it yet but maybe on Sunday.

Since I've been using the mousse there has been a drastic change in the shape of my curls...for the better. But somehow, I feel like there's something more I should be doing. I see all these pictures on here of gorgeous curls and I don't feel like mine are quite there. But maybe I should accept that this is the way my hair naturally wants to look.

You are probably correct about the BC/ACV. I have just read that ACV dries some people's hair out more than others. I think I read that the ACV is more for highly porous hair. That's something to ask the experts.

As far as what not to use it is both silicones and sulfates. Silicones end in -cone, -conal, or -cane (I e., dimethicone). And I did like you...forgot to clarify at first and wasn't seeing good results. I then clarified and have been happy since then....no set-back. I used VO5 Moisture Milks shampoo because it has sulfates to clear away residue but it doesn't contain silicones (silicones would defeat the purpose of clarifying). The shampoo is $1.00 or less depending on where you buy it. I would definitely do that because any silicones left on your scalp might be hindering your progress and causing the frizz.

Thanks for your help! I don't think I'm gonna wait until my wash day, I think I'll clarify and try out that conditioner today. I'll do some more research on the BS/ACV method, and see what I can come up with. I've only been using the ACV for a week or so, after about a month of just BS which dried out my hair drastically. So maybe it's still adjusting as well. Thanks again!

Pretty sure my hair is a mix of 3a/3b. I think the front curls are more 3a and the back more 3b, while the underneath has some 3c qualities. Kind of a mess. I took these today after clarifying with Suave Daily Clarifying shampoo and conditioning with the Tresemee Naturals (with honey and olive oil conditioner) and the EverStyle mousse.